Nov. 22, 2002
EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern Women's Lacrosse Head Coach Kelly Amonte Hiller announced the signing of six women to National Letters of Intent during the early signing period. These women will matriculate at Northwestern next year and be eligible to play for the Wildcats in the spring of 2004.
Amonte Hiller plucked two more players from her home state of Massachusetts, Minnie Doherty (Norwell, Mass.) and Kristen Kjellman (Westwood, Mass.), as well as Kristen Boege (Huntington, N.Y.) who will reunite at the college level with current Wildcat Donna McCann. Amonte Hiller also adds a pair of Maryland players (Aly Josephs of Reisterstown and Hannah Whitman of Roland Park) and Lindsay Finocchiaro from Fairfield, N.J.
"We are very excited about the 2003 recruiting class," said Amonte Hiller. "We have been able to sign a great group of young female athletes that will add a great deal to the team. The new group brings speed, size, athleticism, skill, explosiveness, and personality. Most importantly, this group has the ability to mesh extemely well with the talented team that we have already in place."
Northwestern women's lacrosse was brought back as a varsity program last spring after a decade of dormancy and went 5-10 overall, including a 2-4 mark in the newly formed American Lacrosse Conference (with Davidson, Johns Hopkins, Ohio, Ohio State, Penn State and Vanderbilt). The Wildcats' 19-player roster last year consisted of 15 freshmen and four sophomores, and nine newcomers have joined the program for the upcoming season.
Information on the Wildcats' six early signees follows.
KRISTEN BOEGE
Defense
Huntington, N.Y./Huntington
Three-year starter for varsity team entering her senior season ... Averaged three caused turnovers and four ground balls per game as a junior ... Honorable mention All-America ... All-county in 2002, all-league in 2001 ... Participated in National Schoolgirls Tournament and Empire State Games ... Academic All-America as a sophomore ... Also plays varsity soccer at Huntington ... Soccer team won league titles the last two years.
Coach Amonte Hiller: "Kristen will join former teammate Donna McCann at Northwestern. Kristen has great athleticism and versatility. She also plays on one of the top club programs in the country and will bring that experience and high level of play to Northwestern."
MINNIE DOHERTY
Midfield
Norwell, Mass./Norwell
Three-year letterwinner in lacrosse ... Norwell Mariner All-Conference Team ... South Shore League honorable mention All-Star ... Also plays soccer and basketball, as well as ice hockey for Commonwealth Girls Hockey League ... In soccer, South Shore League MVP as a senior and two-time South Shore League All-Star ... National Honor Society member ... Recipient of Army Scholar/Athlete Award.
Coach Amonte Hiller: "Minnie comes from a newer high school program at Norwell, but despite her newness to the sport she has shown that she is a great athlete by becoming one of the top players in Massachusetts."
LINDSAY FINOCCHIARO
Midfield/Attack
Fairfield, N.J./West Essex
Led team to 18-1 record, North Jersey Sectional title, and No. 8 national ranking in 2002 ... All-America selection ... Suburban Life Newspaper Female Athlete of the Year ... First-team all-state ... First-team All-Group 2 ... First-team all-conference and all-county ... In 2001, earned honorable mention All-America ... Second-team all-state, all-conference and all-county ... As a freshman, helped team to Group B state championship ... High school coach is Jill Cosse ... Two-time member of Upper Atlantic Schoolgirls Team 1 ... Three-time participant in All-Star Express Tournament ... Also lettered in field hockey and basketball ... Regional All-America, first-team all-state and Essex County Player of the Year in field hockey ... Second-team all-conference in basketball.
Coach Amonte Hiller: "Lyndsay has tremendous speed and athleticism. She is a standout three-sport athlete at West Essex and has the ability to play anywhere on the field for us."
ALY JOSEPHS
Attack
Reisterstown, Md./Franklin
Captain of both her lacrosse and soccer teams ... Selected to play in 2000 Baltimore County Rising Juniors All-Star Lacrosse Game and 2001 Rising Seniors All-Star Game ... Mid-Atlantic All-Star Team selection ... Second-team all-county as a junior ... Led Franklin High team in scoring last season ... National Honor Society member ... Four-year All-County All-Academic Scholar.
Coach Amonte Hiller: "Aly is a very skilled player. She will be a threat on all aspects of the attack with her ability to see the field, pass, and score."
KRISTEN KJELLMAN
Midfield
Westwood, Mass./Westwood
Three-year letterwinner in lacrosse heading into senior season ... Will be captain this spring ... Enters senior year with 223 career points ... Scored 44 goals and had 51 assists as a junior ... Honorable mention All-America ... Boston Globe and Boston Herald All-Scholastic ... Led team to Tri-Valley League titles each of the last three years ... All-league selection the last two years ... Played for Lower New England II team at National Tournament ... Also selected for Mass Elite club team ... Also plays basketball and soccer at Westwood ... Basketball team enters 2002-03 season with 52-game winning streak and has won the last two Division III state titles ... Westwood was ranked No. 1 girls' basketball team in the state by Boston Globe at end of last season ... Honorable mention Tri-Valley League All-Star ... In soccer, led team in scoring the last two years ... Two-time all-league selection.
Coach Amonte Hiller: "Kristen has great speed and athleticism and the ability to play any position on the field at the collegiate level. She also has a great work ethic which has allowed her to become a top player in Massachusetts."
HANNAH WHITMAN
Defense/Midfield
Baltimore, Md./Roland Park
Played in Baltimore's North-South Junior All-Star Game in 2001 ... Selected as an All-Star at the Elite 300 Camp last summer ... Also a member of North Baltimore Lacrosse Club.
Coach Amonte Hiller: "Hannah brings great size and strength to our team. We are extremely about her versatility and her overall speed and power."